Born in 1965 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Considers Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, to be his hometown. Enjoys basketball, skiing, camping, and flying. Holds flight instructor certificate as CFII and MEI.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Chigasaki-Hokuryo High School, Chigasaki, in 1984; received a bachelor of engineering degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1989, and a master of engineering degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1991.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Space Explorers.

EXPERIENCE:

Noguchi joined Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (IHI) in April 1991. He completed a training course in the Manufacturing Department, and then he was assigned to the Aerodynamics Group, Research and Development Department, Aero-Engine and Space Operations, IHI. He was involved in the aerodynamic design of commercial aero-engines, planning and successful completion of the component tests of aero-engines, and the research of compressor aerodynamic performance. He was selected by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) in June 1996. Effective October 1, 2003, NASDA merged with ISAS (Institute of Space & Astronautic Science) and NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan) and was renamed JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Noguchi reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. He participated in the basic training course for Russian manned space systems at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia in 1998. He then continued MS advanced training at JSC and was also assigned technical duties to support the Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) development tests. In April 2001, he was assigned to the crew of STS-114. In 2005, he flew on STS-114 Discovery and logged over 333 hours in space, including over 20 EVA hours. He then served as a back-up Expedition 18 crew member. Noguchi then spent a 6-month tour of duty as a member of Expedition 22/23, launching to the ISS in December 2009 and landing on June 2, 2010. A veteran of two space flights, Soichi Noguchi has logged almost 177 days in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE:

STS-114 Discovery (July 26-August 9, 2005) was the Return to Flight mission during which the Shuttle docked with the International Space Station and the crew tested and evaluated new procedures for flight safety and Shuttle inspection and repair techniques. Noguchi served as MS-1 and EV-1 and performed 3 EVAs (spacewalks) totaling 20 hours and 5 minutes. After a 2-week, 5.8 million mile journey in space, the orbiter and its crew of seven astronauts returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Noguchi next launched aboard a Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on December 21, 2009, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, docking with the International Space Station two days later to join Expedition 22 crew. He became the first Japanese to fly on Soyuz as left-seat Flight Engineer. For the next 161 days, Noguchi lived and worked aboard the International Space Station as a Flight Engineer on Expedition 22/23, accomplishing Kibo full configuration assembly complete. The Expedition 23 crew returned to a safe landing in central Kazakhstan on June 2, 2010. In completing this long duration mission, Noguchi logged 163 days in space.